Russian

Vysotsky, Thank You for Being Alive (Высоцкий. Спасибо, что живой!) is a 2011 biopic about legendary Russian bard and singer-songwriter Vladimir Vysotsky (Владимир Высоцкий). Vysotsky, who died in 1980, is one of the best-loved cultural figures in Russian and Soviet history. There have been numerous books and movies made about him, in addition to his […]

Nervy (Нервы; “nerves”) is a Ukrainian alternative-rock band led by singer and pianist Zhenya Milkovskiy (Женя Мильковский). He formed the band in 2010 after his solo career, which he had begun several years earlier, didn’t yield the results he wanted. The original members of the band were Milkovskiy (vocals, guitar), Dmitry Dudka (Дмитрий Дудка; bass guitar), […]

Louna (in Russian Луна, though they actually go by the Roman spelling—it means “moon”) is a pretty recently established Russian rock group. The name comes from the nickname of one of the founders, Lu (Лу; actually Lusine Gevorkyan, Лусинэ Геворкян), an ethnic Armenian. The group was founded in 2009 by two of the members of […]

Kalinov Most (Калинов Мост; translates as “Kalinov bridge”) is one of the most popular Soviet and Russian rock groups of all time. They were born and grew up in Siberia—Novosibirsk, to be exact. They play what can be described as folk rock, but they prefer to describe themselves by their very own adjective, “Kalinovmost-ish” (Калиновмостовский). […]

Valerii Leontiev (Валерий Леонтьев) is a Russian pop singer who has been touring, recording, and performing extensively since the 1970s. He was born in Ust-Usa, in the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, but grew up in Arkhangelsk oblast. He sang in his school choir and could be found in drama circles as a child. When […]

1612 (also known as 1612: Chronicle of the Time of Troubles, 1612: Хроники смутного времени) is a 2007 Russian epic drama. It is based on true events of that year. The film takes place during the Time of Troubles (Смутное время), the period from 1598 to 1612, after the Rurik dynasty was deposed but before […]

Mongol (Монгол; known as Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan in its English release) is a 2007 film about Genghis Khan, the Mongol warrior who conquered Russia (among many other places) in the thirteenth century. The stars are well-known actors from Japan, China, and Mongolia. Tadanobu Asano, who plays Khan, is well-known in his native […]

Nursultan Azykbaev (Нурсултан Азыкбаев) is a Kyrgyz pop singer who has extremely recently come to the forefront of the Kyrgyz pop scene. He sings in Kyrgyz, Russian, and English. Azykbaev, only 21 years old, is currently studying flute performance at the Kyrgyz State Music Academy—he is in his third year. Azykbaev made waves recently when […]